Three Weeks
by Miss-Frenchie
Summary: Three weeks of drill practices, of seeing Nathan outside of Haven, of being close to him. She's survived the strenuous military training, she's survived the FBI, can she survive three weeks of him?   Formerly "Sergeant Parker"
1. The Call

I DO NOT OWN THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS HAVEN

Audrey never was the fluffy type. Never a sap, swooning at the night in shining armour. She took pride in her ability to take down suspects, those towering a foot or more above her, and weighing twice as much. She was never overly girly. She didn't do sunny, flowery, purple or any other words the Teagues had used.

Audrey Parker wasn't the fluffy type. That's why she wasn't surprised when she got the call.

"Parker? It's Lt. Colonol Alden. Still up for that offer of yours?"

Audrey rolled over in bed, groaning. She hadn't talked to Alden in years, since before she joined the FBI...

"Remind me what offer I made?" She rubbed her eyes, as she sat up .

"That if we ever needed you, you'd be happy to rejoin us."

She chuckled, "I didn't think you'd take that seriously."

"We're the army Parker, we take everything seriously."

She could hear him smiling through the phone, "Uh...yeah...I guess. How long?"

"Just three weeks. Some of our soldiers fell extremely ill and we're running ragged to replace them for the ceremonies. Are you sure it's not a bad time?"

Her mind immediately flew to Haven and its people, to her new job, to Lucy, to Nathan.

"Yeah. I'll make it. Is it okay if I invite a friend to see the ceremony?"

He chuckled, "Yeah. But the Audrey Parker I knew never had anyone to invite. Who's the lucky guy?"

"What makes you think it's a guy?" She scoffed, though something tugged inside her at the relation of a romantic interest. Nathan was just her partner, right?

Her inner voice knew better. She had been attracted to him from the beginning, but her walls and self-regulated no-relationships-equals-no-hurt rule had served her well. Still she was drawn to him. She couldn't explain it...though few things in Haven could be explained.

"Parker, you are not the type to have a girls' night out. I doubt your friend is female."

She sighed in defeat.

He added, "The good seats are reserved for family and significant others. So just have him say he's your boyfriend. We can get him a ticket for whichever night."

She gulped. How would Nathan feel about posing as her boyfriend? About her military past? Would he even want to see her? Would he care that she was leaving, if only for a few weeks? Would he feel as strangely excited as she did about the whole posing as boyfriend and girlfriend thing?

"Where is it?"

"Washington D.C. and I'll send you details later."

She barely heard the phone signal the ended call.

Was she ready to leave Haven... and Nathan?

Not sure how I feel about this one. I just wondered what it would be like if she had served in the military for a bit. Let me know if I should continue. Please read and review this and my other stories.


	2. Asking for a Boyfriend

"You were in the military?"

Nathan sat at his desk, finishing both paperwork from their last case and his footlong sub. He watched Audrey carefully as she explained she was leaving him for three weeks.

_No, Nathan, she's leaving Haven._

"Yes," she groaned, "We've gone over that!"

She shook her head, hands on her hips, and moved over to sit at her desk.

"And you need to leave for a few weeks to participate in some kind of ceremony?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes. So I need to ask for some time off. I feel bad leaving you. But in the military if they say jump, you damn-well better jump." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"I guess I handled the Troubles before you were here. I can handle them while you're gone."

She shook her head, "I feel bad leaving you. Don't make it worse with statements like that."

He sat up straight, stopped taking a bite of his sandwich. He was no longer hungry.

She felt bad about leaving him? He must mean something to her right?

"Um...I," she gulped, heart beating wildy, "I was wondering if you'd like to come see the ceremony...come see me...in...in the ceremony."

"Yes." He said quickly, without giving it any more thought.

She relaxed visibly. Though she had to fight off the urge to grin.

"You'd be leaving Haven for a while."

"Okay."

"You'll be gone for a week or more."

"Okay."

"You'll have to find some way to entertain yourself during practices and drills."

"Okay."

"You'll have to find your own way there, Nathan."

"Okay."

"And pay for your own food and accommodations."

"Okay."

"And to get into the good seats at the ceremony, you'll have to pose as my boyfriend."

"Oka-Wait, what?"


	3. Get in here

SO MY FIRST FEW CHAPTERS WERE MOSTLY DIALOGUE BUT NOT MUCH ELSE SO I HOPE TO EXPAND THAT. KEEP UP THE REVIEWS! THEY MAKE ME WANT TO CONTINUE

Audrey couldn't help but feel the tug inside her at Nathan's reaction to the boyfriend thing. She had kind of hoped he would be happier at the idea of them...hanging out, outside of the town of Troubles. And maybe, she had gotten her hopes up that this trip would actually mean something to him...and that they'd get a little closer.

But with his near-choking at the mention of posing as her boyfriend, Audrey felt disappointed, hurt and pissed off.

What wasn't likeable about her?

Wasn't she girlfriend material?

"I said," she started through gritted teeth, "You'd have to pose as my boyfriend to get in."

She stood quickly.

From his desk, Nathan attempted to process her behaviour, tried to understand her sudden change in demeanour.

His brows knit together, he looked at her, eyes squinted, "I understand that much...but...why?"

Audrey could feel her temperature rising. She was becoming steam now. Hot and bothered... pissed off steam.

"Because only family and significant others can sit on the benches, the bleacher-type...just...it's what you have to do okay. Though, if you don't care to come, whatever."

He stood from his desk quickly, "I definitely care to see you...in the ceremony."

"But not me any other time? Look, whatever. I'm going to ask for time off." She huffed, leaving their shared office space.

Nathan stood, in the center of the small room, now even more baffled by the ever-changing moods of the female species.

~*~N&A~*~N&A~*~N&A~*~

"Time off?" the Chief grumbled, staring Audrey Parker in the blue eyes.

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

She had originally planned on asking the chief for time with Nathan by her side.

But now...she just...she didn't even know why she was mad at him. Stupid girly-crush hormones. Her brain overanalyzed everything he said about her or did to her or didn't do to her or did around her or...you get the idea.

She had Nathanitis.

A horrible infection of the brain that affected her heart and lungs. It slowed down her breathing rate while it sped up her heart. It festered in her brain, making it very much one-tracked...a train straight to Nathanville.

"Audrey?" The Chief's voice brought her back.

"Yeah?"

"I asked you how long I would be without my best cop."

She blushed. At least his father approved of her, if she and Nathan ever...

No, Audrey! You'd be getting your hopes up.

"Three weeks, and I hardly think I'm your best officer."

He set his coffee mug down, looking up at the young woman.

"You sure are. Best thing to ever happen to Haven. Now why'd you need this vacation time? Finally had enough of that boy?"

"Nathan. No, i haven't...I mean...I...he hasn't annoyed me sir."

The chief smirked. These two were about as in love as you can get without any intimacy, physical or emotional.

"Nathan!" He shouted suddenly, "Get your ass in here."

The younger man walked in quickly, avoiding Audrey's gaze and still decorated with a look of confusion.

"Yeah?" He asked the Chief.

"Parker's leaving town for a few weeks and I want your sorry as to accompany her as soon as you can. You are to stay at your great-aunt's house there. If Parker needs anything, you'll be close to the drill hall I suspect. 'Sides, your great-aunt could use some help around her place and we don't need you following this poor girl like a puppy any more than you usually do."

The Chief sipped his coffee.

"Now Audrey, I'm guessing you'll be busy most days so my son won't irritate you too much. We can probably handle the Troubles til you get back. Have fun."

He smiled at her and Nathan gulped.

The Chief had just ordered him to spend three weeks with his partner/crush.

This was going to be hell.


	4. Pancakes and Stroganoff

The gate door creaked open. The rusted hinges the source of the sound, they looked about a hundred years old. The cobblestone pathway that led to the house was in need of repair, with various weeds growing between the stones, content to make the path their home.

Nathan sighed. This was not a good start. Hopefully, he could keep his mind of Audrey while he worked on fixing this place up.

Damn it. He had failed already. The blonde was always on his mind.

Five short steps up the small staircase and Nathan stood on the porch that seemed to wrap around the entire small house, but upon further inspection, he found it only led partway down either side of the house. A decent size porch nonetheless.

Painted a pale yellow colour, the house was cute...not that he, Nathan Wournos, would ever dare to call a house cute.

The beams of the porch were a pale brown and Nathan started to wonder if the paint was once vibrant in colour.

He raised his hand and knocked, hearing the yap of a small dog and young voices chattering to each other inside.

Minutes later, an older woman open the door, a big smile on her face.

As the source of the yapping, a small brown-curly haired dog that seemed to be a cross between a Pomeranian and a Maltese, sniffed his pant-legs, Nathan took it all in.

The woman had red hair, though much of it around the ears and nape of the neck was greying. Her eyes were cheerful and blue as she smiled warmly at him. She was a little heavier, with a bouncing tush and bosom.

Nathan noted that she smelled like cedar and lavender, with maybe sugar cookies thrown in.

The dog followed him in, its short legs moving very quickly.

"It's so great to see you again, dearie. I haven't seen you since you were a small boy." She proceeded to pinch his cheek.

"You'll be staying upstairs in the guest room. The other rooms are...very occupied. I house foster children you see. I've had hundreds come through here, some for months, others less than a day. Right now I only have four, and they've been here a while. They're comfortable here. I'd consider adoption but I'm older and I can't keep up with these young things."

She smiled at a small brunette who looked about seven, who sat seated at the kitchen island munching on a cookie.

The kitchen, which was right off the entrance, was fairly large.

It was open and from where he was standing, he could see the living room. A few toys littered the floor, which was carpeted with a brown fuzzy-looking carpet. The furniture was also brown. It was all ordinary, except for a wall that was covered in photos.

It caught his eye, but as he went to investigate, his aunt said, "Why don't you bring your bags up stairs? Dinner won't be much longer. I hope you like beef stroganoff. The room's the last on the right, dearie."

He nodded and gave a half-smile.

He had almost reached his 'room' when the door to the bedroom adjacent to his opened, revealing a young boy with curly red hair. He looked at Nathan and smiled, the skin around his face tainted with a sticky brown substance.

He stared up at Nathan.

"And what have you been eating, bud?" Nathan questioned.

"Pancakes." The small boy shrugged.

Nathan laughed.

"What? I like pancakes."

The usual frown that graced Nathan's face at most times had no chance of returning now. This small boy had managed to worm his way into Nathan's heart in a matter of seconds.

"And you're allowed to eat them before dinner? Won't that spoil your dinner?" Nathan smirked, remembering all the times he mother had scolded him for snacking on pancakes in the middle of the afternoon.

"Pancakes _are _dinner."

With that, the boy bounded down the staircase, his curls bouncing almost as much as he was.

Nathan laughed before entering his designated room. These kids warmed his heart, yet at the same time it hurt. It ached like it did around babies, around families and, most importantly, around Audrey.

He didn't want all that. Did he?


	5. Ruby

Audrey descended the airplane staircase. A quick grab of her bag and she stood, facing Lt. Colonol Alden.

"Hey Parker."

The man stood, skin shades darker than her own, at least a foot taller than Audrey did. He was built well, something you'd expect from a career soldier. She had left the service after her mandatory 5 years, having her education paid for her came at a price, but she had no choice considering her "home" situation.

"So I figured tonight before any practices start up, we could go visit Ruby. I hear she has some new guests. Besides, I figured I could help her fix that pipe she's always complaining about. You interested in going to see her, Dee?"

Audrey smiled, "Please don't call me Dee. I never liked that."

"You prefer Audie or Dree, instead?" he teased.

"And yes. I'd love to see Ruby again. I mean, she's the closest thing to a mother figure that I've ever had."

He nodded and they walked to the car that would take them straight to the Drill Hall and its surrounding quarters.

Audrey actually felt like she was looking forward the night out. Socializing. She wouldn't be dreading it, worrying how she'd look or act around Nathan—ugh, Nathan! Where was she supposed to visit him...or he visit her, whatever. Chief just wanted them to spend "quality" time together.

She decided that she's call him from Ruby's house.

Still dressed in their camouflaged cargo pants, plain green t-shirt, and berets adorned with the appropriate feather colour and status symbols, the two arrived at Ruby's house.

"Nathan. Could you get the door? I want to finish up with washing the dishes."

"Nathan?" Audrey gasped, as the man opened the door, "This is your great-aunt's house?"

At his confused look and nod, she laughed.

"Lt. Colonol Alden. This is Nathan Wournos, Haven PD. My small-town cop partner," she introduced with almost an air of pride, "Nathan, this is my old friend from the army, James Alden."

Nathan shook his head, staring only at her, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we _were _visiting an old...friend and apparently she's related to you."

Alden chuckled, "Small world, Dee."

Audrey glared at him, "Call me that again and I'll neuter you."

None of them could react. Ruby chose that moment to push past Nathan, lovingly pinching the cheeks of both James and Audrey, exclaiming "look at you" and "all grown up" and various other phrases of pride.

"Come in, come in!" She motioned.

The soldiers obeyed, leaving Nathan standing on the porch, still confused.

LOL POOR NATHAN I LEAVE HIM SO CONFUSED, SO OFTEN IN THIS STORY. A DOUBLE UPDATE AGAIN SO REVIEW, YOU TURDS :P I PROMISE SOME AWESOMENESS IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS.


	6. Clearing Things Up

HOPEFULLY THIS ANSWERS A FEW QUESTIONS. THANKS FOR THAT, IF THINGS AREN'T CLEAR, ASK QUESTIONS. IT HELPS. SOMETIMES I FORGET TO ADD SMALL DETAILS OR SOMETIMES IT COMES LATER IN THE STORY, SO IT'S INTENTIONALLY NOT A DETAIL YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT. ASK ANYWAY, AND ENJOY THIS SHORT CHAPTER.

READ AND REVIEW.

With the kids down from their pancake-enduced and candy-enduced sugar highs, passed out in their beds, the three adults were in the kitchen talking. It had been hours since Audrey and Alden had arrived.

Hours of catching up.

Hours of story-telling.

Hours of Nathan not knowing the story behind this Alden guy.

He seemed harmless enough. Of course, they always do.

"I didn't realize when Alden suggested that we go visit Ruby, that I'd be visiting you as well, Nathan." Audrey stated, taking a sip of her water. Ruby had insisted on something more...flavourful, but Audrey declined, needing a nice normal liquid. Normal was not part of her life lately.

"Didn't exactly have time to set-up anything, did we?" he asked, almost a bitter tone to his voice, "You were rushed off to the airport and then I drove down here alone."

Alden interrupted, "Sorry about that, man. General Mahoney and I needed to consult Sergeant Parker about some...classified details during the flight."

"About ceremonies?"

Nathan raised his eyebrow at the Lt. Colonol and eyed Audrey.

"Yeah...about ceremonies." Alden muttered.

Nathan was about the speak again when Audrey beat him to it, "Not the quiet evening I had in mind for my first night here in DC."

The other three adults looked at her. Nathan looked suspicious, Alden had a blank expression and Ruby...well she was her usual cheery self.

Audrey continued, "I had expected to spend the night unpacking, maybe reading for a bit, before retiring early because...I guarantee that we'll be up at sunrise or earlier tomorrow."

"So now that you know where to find me, what are the plans for these next few weeks?" Nathan asked, almost afraid of the answer if, when she knew she'd have free time, she hadn't intentionally planned to spend it with him.

"I don't know. I had originally planned to call your cell tomorrow during some free time and make plans that way. You know, find out your great-aunt's address, figure out when I have a decent amount of free time, that sort of thing."

He just nodded.

"But I really appreciate your company." She smiled at him, a cutsey-innocent-please-don't-hate-me smile.

He nodded again, fighting back his own smile.

Damn Audrey.

Damn her and her cute smile and...stuff.

"Will you be back this weekend?" Ruby asked, yawning, "it's getting late. This old bag can't stay up as late as she used to."

She gave a chuckle, hustling over to the staircase.

Audrey smiled, "Of course, Ruby. And you don't look a day over thirty."

Ruby stopped and turned around, "Dearie, I know you know better than that. The state didn't raise you to be a liar. Though I appreciate the effort."

Nathan stifled laughter.

Audrey punched him in the arm.

Alden sat there awkwardly.

Ruby went to bed.

All was at peace, for now.


End file.
